Winding machine



sept. 21, 1937.

E. J. ABBOTT WINDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 21, 1937; E. J. ABBOTT WINDING MACHINE Filed Feb.` 9, 1935 .4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ssepnzl, 1937.

E. J. ABBoTT 'wINDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 1955l 4 sheets-sheetV s sepf.21,1937. f EIJ. ABBOTT V 2,093,628

' v wINDING MACHINE Patented Sept. 21, 17937 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE WINDIN G MACHINE Application February 9, 1935, Serial No. 5,730

This invention relates to an improvement in mechanism responsive to breakage or exhaustion of -one of several simultaneously handled strands, for automatically causing breakage or severance of the remaining accompanying strands, in processes such as doubling, twisting, winding or spinning.

A principal object of the invention is to provide, during the time winding is being started, a period in which failure of o-ne strand to be put into or maintained in operative relation to the detecting or strand-responsive mechanism or element will not precipitate a breakage or severance of the remaining strands. The attainment of this object permits the operator of the machine to supervise the starting of winding with less attention to the relation of the several strands which are to be subject to the detecting operation, and particularly precludes the possibility of a premature or false actuation of the detecting mechanism and consequent breakage or severance caused by irregularity in the tensions or positions of the strands at the start of winding.

` Although it will be apparent from this specication that the invention is of general applicability to mechanism for accomplishing the breakage or severance referred to above, the present invention will be explained by a description of its application to apparatus described and claimed in my allowed patent application Serial No. 693,- 116, filed October 11, 1933, now Patent No. 1,995,- 730, issued March 26, 1935.

Other objects of invention and features lof novelty and utility will be apparent from this specification and its drawings, wherein the invention is explained by reference to preferred examples thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front View of a traveling doubling unit of the aforesaid application, having the present invention incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a right side view of the unit of Fig. 1, parts of the frame and driving connections of the machine being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a View on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the yarn guiding plate of the unit with strand detecting means mounted thereon;

Fig. 4 is a view at right angles to Fig. 3, on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing the strand detector;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing an element of the detector tilted part way toward `its releasing position, but prevented from further tilting;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified form of the invention and Fig. 7 is a View on the line 1 1 Aof Fig. 6.

By way. of example only, the invention is illustrated0 as embodied in a traveling multiple unit machineof the general construction shown in Letters Patent of the United States No.` 1,609,639,

as improved by the invention shown in my application Serial No. 476,776, led August 21, 1930, and equipped with a pair of supply spindles for each unitfor the purpose of doubling two strands, and further improved by the strand-breaking or severing mechanism of my application Serial No. 693,116.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, each unit may for example include an upright l0, having at its top a winding head Il which is guided on an upper rail I2 by means of rollers I3 and I4, and on its lower part a suitable roller I5 guiding the upright I0 on a lower rail I6. The several units of the machine 1 are conveyed in the direction of the arrow e (Fig. 1) in a closed path dened by the rails l2 and. I6, by means of a chain Il to which the respective units are attached by links I8.

The spindle 20 of winding package 2l may be carried by an arm 22 pivoted at 23 on the head in position for the package 2| to rest on a. drive roll 26, extending along the machine. A suitable traverse cam 28 is mounted in the Winding head in position to be driven by roll 26, and to reciprocate a traverse guide 29. The traverse cam 28 is preferably covered by a yarn-guiding cover plate 30, which extends from the path of the traverse guide 29 at a slight downward slope to the point 36a (Fig. 2), and thence downward at a greater slope to its lowermost point 30h. At its bottom, this cover plate 30 has a turned up portion 3| at right angles to the adjacent portions of the plate,

as shown in Fig. 2, approximately in the plane of the supply package spindles 4I.

As shown in Fig. 1, these supply package spindles 4l are mounted on a suitable bracket 42 to point or converge toward the approximate center of this upturned support 3| for the detector. Associated with member 3l are suitable guide means to receive the two strands :t and y coming from the supply package, for example, a pair of slots 43, 44, through which the strands separately pass on their Way to the traversing guide eye 29, and for the purpose of threading the strands onto these slots, the upper edge of member 3l is preferably downwardly inclined from both sides to these slots.

The winding speed of the mechanism may be, for example, 500 to 800 yards per minute, at which speeds the yarn coming freely oi over the ends of the supply packages will exert a strong ballooning effect sufficient to tension the yarns. A separator plate 4l is accordingly recommended for controlling the balloon thus formed.

The detecting and breaking or severing mechanism disclosed in `my said application Serial No. 693,116 includes a light tilting plate 50 having lateral ears 5lr 52 (Figs. 3 and 4) each of `which normally supports one of the two tensioned strands :1c and y as they pass through the slits 43, 44 of member 3l.

The tilting plate is mounted, as indicated in Fig. 4, upon two pins 55, 56, extending from a supporting member 51, which as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, is mounted on the plate 36 directly behind the upturned flange 3|. In the tilting plate 50, is a slot 58 formed in two arcuate por- With two guide ears 60, 6| having downwardly sloping tops adapted to direct laterally a strand laid in the slot 43 or 44, and thereafter adapted to confine the strand against leaving the slot. In runningposition, therefore, the two strands each run through a slot 43 or 44 and rest on a lateral ear 5| or 52 of the tilting plate 50. If either lstrand fails, as by breakage or exhaustion, the strong tension on the remaining strand tilts the plate50 until the depressed one of the two ears thereon is withdrawn from the remaining strand. Thus, for example, when the plate 50 has been tilted to slightly beyond the tilted position of Fig. 5, the strand :r will be released therefrom.

Upon being released from the tilting plate 56, the unbroken strand is free to be pulled up its respective slot 43a or 44a by the winding tension, until it assumes such an inclination to its supply package that it can no longer unwind over end from the package, and consequently breaks. The breaking or severance may also be accomplished or facilitated by the provision of knife-edges 8| or the like at the upper ends of the slots 432L and 44a, the strand being pulled against one of these knife edges by the tension.

Associated with the cover plate 30, there are preferably provided a pair of strand guides 10, 1|, made for example, of wire, having inclined portions 10a, 1| adapted to engage two strands extending from the supply packages to the winding means and to lead them to a central throat dened by approximately parallel portions 10b, 1lb. Such assembly of the strands in this throat can take place automatically while the operator allows the two strands to drop onto the opposite inclined edges of member 3|, in position to be pulled into the front slots 43, 44. In normal running, the parallel portions 10b, 1|b of the strand guides keep the two strands close together as they approach the reciprocating traverse guide 29, as shown in Fig. 3, but as shown in Fig. 2 the lower parts of these portions 10b, 1|b terminate above the cover plate 3U, thus permitting the released .strand :c or y to travel up the appropriate one of the spaced slots 43a or 44a to breaking position. The preferred guides 10, 1| herewith illustrated, are thus shaped and disposed with reference to the breakage detector to bring together and center the strands between the detector and winding means, to retain them in this relation during normal winding, and release either strand which is released by the detector so that such strand is free to assume its more direct path which induces breakage.

The particular strand detecting and breaking or severing mechanism described above is an example of the general class of such mechanism to which the present invention is applicable. In such machine, after a replenishment operation or repair of a break, the most convenient way of getting the two strands intothe detecting mechanismis for the operator to hold the two strands which lead from the .package 2|. in one hand and give the package a slight turn with her other hand to take up the slack, allowing the strands to be threaded into the detector. The package 2| is then automatically lowered into contact with the drive roll 26 by the operation ofthe package lifting and lowering mechanism described in my application Serial No. 476,776.

However, in the event that the conditions of the two strands were so different that one strand was threaded into the detector and the other still left outside the detector and in a slack condition, when the packager began to be driven by the roll 26, the plate 50 of the detector might be tilted to releasing position before the other strand was drawn in, with the result that a false actuation of the detector could occur. The present invention provides in mechanism of this general class, a period in which winding can start and any strand which has been left out of the detector can be drawn in, before the detector is allowed to operate.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the unit at a position where its package has just been lowered to the drive roll by the mechanism and in the manner described in application Serial No. 476,776. At this location in the path of travel of the units, there is mounted on a bracket 85, a narrow somewhat resilient metal strip 86 adapted to wipe across the flat top of the element 51 which pivotally supports the detector element-5ll of the passing unit, so as to overlie the detector element 50 and prevent it from fully tilting to a releasing position. 'Ihus if during the beginning of winding one strand a: should be in its slot 43 (Fig. 5) but the other strand y not yet have reached its slot 44, the detector element 50 will be prevented from releasing strand The winding rotation of the package 2| will then be able to pull the strand y into its slot 44, and thereby put the detector element 5D in balance before the detector element moves out from under the strip 86 and becomes operative.

In place of a form of means such as the abovedescribed strip which is effective with respect to the several units of the machine in succession, the modication of Figs. 6 and 7 provides a mechanism associated with each winding unit for accomplishing the same objects. Referring to these iigures, the unit, like that of Figs. 1 to 5, is provided with the above-described detector member 5D and associated parts adapted for strand-breaking or severing according to the invention described in application Serial No. 693,116, now Patent No. 1,995,730. Also, like the unit of Figs. l to 5, the unit of Figs. 6 and 7 is provided with a Wire bail 9| pivotally secured to the lower side of the cover plate, as disclosed in application Serial No. 476,77 6, this wire bail 9| in the illustrated machine having a lower extension 92 connected to suitable winding stopping mechanism. The nature of such winding stopping mechanism will of course vary with the type of winding machine and is no part of the present invention, nor is it essential for the purposes of the present invention that the wire bail 92 be employed to actuate winding stopping mechanism. In both winding units illustrated in this application, the winding stopping mechanism, which is that of my application Serial No. 476,776, includes a crank 94 fastened to the package-carrying arm and adapted to be turned by a lifter rod 95 which in turn is actuated by a crank 96 fastened to a shaft 91. A head 98 on the inner end of shaft 91 carries a pivoted dog 499, .whichis adapted to be detained by a provbeyond the position of Fig. 5.

jection from the upper rail I2, thus to turn the member 98, shaft 9'|crank 95 and thereby raise the lifter rod 95 and lift the package 2| from the drive roll 26. A wire link |9| connects the lower extension 92 of the wire bail 9| with the pivoted dog 99, so that when the wire bail 9| is held down by the winding strands (as indicated in Fig. 2) the dog 99 in Fig. 6 is held out away from the rail |2 and a series of projections therefrom, whereas when the wire bail 9| is in an elevated position (Fig. 6), the dog 99 hangs free.

For the purpose of controlling the strand detecting and breaking mechanism, the bail wire 9| is extended beneath the cover plate at |93 (Fig. 7), bent upward to extend through a hole |94 in the plate, and thence downwardly at |95 to a point over the pivoted detector element 59, where it terminates in a flattened element |96 adapted to check the tilting of member 59 in the same general manner as the strip 85 of Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 6 shows the winding package 2| in the act of being lowered into contact with the driving roll 26. In this position, the wire bail 9| is in its elevated position, and the member |99 lies close to the pivoted detector ele-` ment 59 and prevents the latter from tilting The system of linkage comprising the members 9|, 92, |9|, 99 and the extension |95 and terminal member |96, has a substantial inertia and resists depression of the bail wire 9|, so that the package 2| winds on a substantial quantity of strand before the bail wire 9| is depressed to running position and the pivoted detector element 59 consequently released from the restraining effect of the element |95. During this interval, either strand :r or y not already in its slot 43 or, 44, can be pulled into such slot by the rotating winding package and the detector element 59 thereby put in balance.

A further utility of this mechanism will be apparent. When the package 2| is off the drive roll during a stoppage in winding, removal of one of the strands from the detector, and tensioning the other strand will leave such other strand retained in the detector, since the element |99 prevents the detector element 59 from releasing. It will be apparent that this operation is not depend-ent upon travel of the units, or the particular type of package lifting and lowering mechanism illustrated, but that the invention is of general applicability to doubling and like machines having mechanism responsive to the absence of a strand.

It will be apparent that bo-th in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 and in the embodiment of Figs. 6 and '7 the machine includes a stop means which is operative at times to prevent the action of the strand-severing means, and that there is relative movement in timed relation between the strand-severing means and a part of the stop means, this relative movement being exempliiied in the movement of the traveling winding unit with respect to the strip 96 in the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 and in the movement of the arm |95 of the wire bail 9| with respect to the unit on which it is mounted in Figs. 6 and 7.

In the claims, reference to severance of a strand is intended to include either cutting, breaking or any type of rupture.r

I claim:

1. A textile machine including means for winding a plurality of strands, means for causing severance of on-e of said strands upon the failure or absence from said means of another of the strands, and means for preventing operation of said last-named means, the machine including means responsive to the winding strand for automatically rendering the said preventing means ineffective only upon the lapse of an interval of time after winding has begun.

2. A textile machine including means for winding a plurality of strands, means for causing severance 'of one of said strands upon the failure or absence from said means of another of the strands, and means for preventing operation of said last-named means, thev machine including means, including conveying means causing the winding means and severance-causing means to travel out of cooperative relation to the said preventing means, for automatically rendering the said preventing means ineiective only upon the lapse of an interval of time after winding has begun.

3. A textile machine including means for winding a plurality of strands, a multiple strand detector including an element adapted to respond to the absence of either of said strands, and means for preventing operation of said element, the machine including means responsive to the winding strand for automatically rendering the said preventing means ineffective only upon the lapse of an interval of time after winding has begun.`

4. A textile machine including means for winding a plurality of strands, a multiple strand detectcr including an element adapt-ed to respond to the absence of either of said strands, and means for preventing operation of said element, the machine including means, including conveying means causing the winding means and multiple strand detector to travel out of cooperative relation to said preventing means, for automatically rendering the said preventing means ineffective only upon the lapse of an interval of time after the winding has begun.

5. A textile machine having strand winding means for winding a plurality of strands, guide means for a plurality of strands to be wound, severing means operative to cause severance of one of said strands upon absence of another of the strands from the guide means, stop means which moves relatively to the strand winding,

means and in timed relation thereto, the stop means being constructed and arranged to become inactive only after the lapse of an interval of time after effective operation of the winding means begins.

6. A textile machine including means for winding a plurality of strands, a multiple strand detector including an element adapted to respond to the absence of either of said strands, stop means operative at times to prevent action of the detector element, said stopmeansy including a part which moves relatively to the strand winding means and in timed relation thereto, said stop means being constructed and arranged to become ineffective only upon the lapse of an interval of time after effective operation of the winding means begins.

EDWARD J. ABBO'I'I. 

